Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Arconenergy, Inc. (Long Term Investors and Fundamentals) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeff Harrington who wrote (1104)	5/2/1998 5:14:00 AM
From: Ed Hoftell	Respond to of 1757

Ethanol Replacing MTBE in California Gasoline Gets Positive Response; 'Great Move,' Legislator Says PR Newswire - April 17, 1998 09:54 %OIL %ENV %LEG V%PRN P%PRN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jump to first matched term SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Gasoline pumps now dispense ethanol blends in the San Francisco Bay area. Service station attendants pass out pamphlets entitled "Facts about Gasoline with Ethanol." California newspapers report that customer reaction is "swift and positive to the new gas" -- clean-air gasoline containing safe ethanol and not MTBE, which was described by the San Francisco Chronicle as a "suspected carcinogen." Favorable responses to ethanol gasoline appeared in Northern California this week as a major oil company, Tosco Corporation, eliminated the controversial additive MTBE from its gasoline and started a six-month pilot program of selling ethanol gasoline. Station managers reported that their gasoline sales had increased, with motorists assured that the ethanol gasoline would be priced the same or less than the MTBE gasoline it is replacing. Tosco is also assuring motorists that ethanol achieves equally good mileage and performance. A leader in California's legislative fight against MTBE, State Sen. Richard Mountjoy, praised the new ethanol gasoline as a "great move," the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Mountjoy is sponsoring legislation that would require oil companies to pay expenses of cleaning water that has been contaminated by MTBE. The Chronicle said: "MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is a suspected carcinogen that has found its way into wells and reservoirs across the state since 1996, when it was added to the state's gasoline supply to reduce air pollution." The San Francisco Examiner wrote: "The switch to ethanol ... comes as water agencies, environmentalists and grassroots groups continue to criticize MTBE. They cite water contamination and possible health problems." The Los Angeles Times reported: "Tosco's MTBE-free gasoline is made using ethanol and will be sold during a six month pilot program from clearly labeled pumps at 50 stations in the chain once known as Union 76. Tosco bought the chain last year from Unocal Corp. of El Segundo, keeping the orange-ball 76 signs." The San Jose Mercury News Web site, citing an Associated Press article, said: "The new gasoline went on sale at stations in Tiburon and El Sobrante Wednesday at the same price as gasoline containing MTBE. The remaining 76 stations in the three counties will switch to the new gas within a month." SOURCE Fuels for the Future /CONTACT: Dean Reed of Fuels for the Future, 202-223-3532/

To: Jeff Harrington who wrote (1104)	5/2/1998 5:19:00 AM
From: Ed Hoftell	Respond to of 1757

Ethanol Industry Applauds Tosco's Announcement to Introduce Ethanol in California PR Newswire - April 16, 1998 17:17 %OIL %LEG V%PRN P%PRN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jump to first matched term WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday's announcement by Tosco Corporation that it will begin marketing ethanol-blended gasolines in California represents a major breakthrough for the domestic ethanol industry into the nation's single largest gasoline market. "I commend Tosco Corporation for its leadership in responding to consumer demands and taking the first step toward introducing ethanol into California," said Eric Vaughn, President of the Renewable Fuels Association. "With Tosco's decision to sell California Cleaner Burning Gasoline blended with ethanol, consumers in California will finally have a choice of gasolines at the pump." Ethanol, a renewable fuel, can be made from any type of biomass, including grains and agricultural waste products. In California today, ethanol is produced from food and beverage wastes. Several projects are underway to convert rice straw into ethanol, helping alleviate the environmental concern posed by the conventional disposal method of burning the straw in the fields. "We support consumer choice in California and are confident that Tosco's action will bring us one step closer to a balanced clean fuels program in California," said Neil Koehler, Market Development Chairman for the Renewable Fuels Association and President of Parallel Products, an ethanol producer in California. "But in order for this effort to move beyond a test program, California regulators must lift the arbitrary barriers to ethanol's use in the state." There is a legislative initiative underway in the California Assembly to accomplish just this. Assemblywoman Debra Bowen, Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman, has introduced AB 1642, which would provide the necessary flexibility to allow refiners a choice of oxygenates. The Transportation Committee recently approved the legislation unanimously (23-0). SOURCE Renewable Fuels Association /CONTACT: Mary Wertschnig of the Renewable Fuels Association, 202-289-3835/

To: Jeff Harrington who wrote (1104)	5/2/1998 5:24:00 AM
From: Ed Hoftell	Respond to of 1757

Tosco Selling Ethanol Gasoline in California; MTBE to Be Replaced in Six-Month Bay Area Test PR Newswire - April 16, 1998 13:01 %OIL V%PRN P%PRN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jump to first matched term SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- A major oil company has started using ethanol instead of the controversial additive MTBE in its clean-air California gasoline in a test program at 50 service stations. Tosco Corporation, California's third largest gasoline retailer, said its new product, using ethanol as its clean-air additive, will be sold in three counties in the San Francisco Bay area -- Contra Costa, Marin and Sonoma counties. MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, has been used by most oil companies in reformulated gasoline, a type of fuel now used widely to meet clean air requirements. MTBE, however, has been strongly criticized across the United States for causing health problems. In California, MTBE became particularly controversial after it was found in water supplies. Santa Monica was forced to close half its drinking water wells because of MTBE contamination, and numerous locations across California have also reported MTBE water pollution. Ethanol, a product made mostly from corn and considered safe, is used in many states of the U.S., but has effectively been barred in California because of state regulations favoring MTBE. Legislation is advancing in California's State Assembly to change the rules and permit ethanol to be competitive. "Ethanol-blended gasoline has been successfully utilized throughout the U.S. for many years," a Tosco announcement said this week. "On the West Coast, gasoline with ethanol is being sold in Spokane, Portland, Reno, Las Vegas, Tucson and Phoenix. Many midwestern locations have been marketing ethanol- blended gasoline for over 20 years." In Stamford, Conn., where Tosco is headquartered, company chairman and chief executive officer Thomas D. O'Malley said: "This gasoline we are producing will meet all of California's strict air quality requirements without the use of MTBE and will reduce the risk to the state's valuable water resources." Tosco said it will produce its ethanol gasoline at its San Francisco area refinery at Rodeo, Calif., and that the product will meet all of California's stringent requirements. The pilot program for Tosco will be tested for a six-month period, company officials said. SOURCE Fuels for the Future

To: Jeff Harrington who wrote (1104)	5/2/1998 5:29:00 AM
From: Ed Hoftell	Respond to of 1757

Oxygenates Industry Responds to Tosco's Ethanol Pilot Program Business Wire - April 15, 1998 20:46 %OXYGENATED-FUELS-ASSN %VIRGINIA %CALIFORNIA %AUTOMOTIVE %OIL %GAS %ENVIRONMENT %ENMED %GOVERNMENT V%BW P%BW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jump to first matched term ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 1998--"Tosco's announcement today that it will institute a six-month pilot program substituting ethanol for MTBE at 50 '76' branded gasoline stations in three California counties is flawed in one major aspect -- it needlessly and incorrectly denigrates MTBE, the preferred anti-pollution ingredient used in over 80 percent of California's cleaner burning gasoline." So said Charles T. Drevna, director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for the Oxygenated Fuels Association (OFA) today in response to the Tosco announcement. "Tosco, and every other oil refiner in California, has always had the freedom of choice to choose whatever oxygenate they feel can best meet the state's cleaner burning gasoline specifications," Drevna explained. He added that refiners around the country routinely determine which oxygenate best suits their individual refinery configurations based upon prevailing market forces and logistics. Such decisions are made without public fanfare, Drevna said, adding, "Unfortunately, Tosco's announcement seems to be designed more as an exercise in public relations rather than a serious attempt to test a true substitute oxygenate that can work for the entire state." Drevna pointed out that there is not enough ethanol available to replace MTBE in California's 900,000 barrel-a-day demand for cleaner burning gasoline. "To suggest that this pilot program, limited to 50 stations in Marin, Sonoma and Contra Costa counties, can eventually translate into a statewide program is not credible," Drevna said. In addition, Drevna noted that the water contamination problem mentioned by Tosco will not be solved by using ethanol as opposed to MTBE. "Neither MTBE, nor ethanol, nor any of the hundreds of other components of gasoline, should be leaking into groundwater from old, corroding underground tanks," Drevna said. He added, "We need to replace these tanks with modern systems that prevent leaks. That way, we can continue to have the clean air that oxygenated fuels provide, while ensuring that water quality is not degraded by gasoline leaks." CONTACT: Oxygenated Fuels Association, Inc. Eric Bolton, 703/841-7100 or Elmets Communications Group Douglas Elmets, 916/329-9180

To: Jeff Harrington who wrote (1104)	5/2/1998 5:39:00 AM
From: Ed Hoftell	Respond to of 1757

Tosco Eliminates MTBE In Three Bay Area Counties PR Newswire - April 15, 1998 13:24 %OIL %PDT V%PRN P%PRN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jump to first matched term STAMFORD, Conn., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Tosco Corporation announced today that it has begun a pilot program which will market gasoline that does not contain MTBE at fifty 76 branded retail outlets in Northern California. The project was initiated to explore alternatives to the use of MTBE in California gasoline. In October 1997, Tosco announced its support for state and federal action to reduce the use of MTBE in California gasoline, in order to reduce the risk of MTBE contamination of both groundwater and surface waters in the state. The pilot project, which will run for six months, will include all 76 retail gasoline outlets located in three Bay Area counties -- Contra Costa, Marin, and Sonoma. These stations will sell California Cleaner Burning Gasoline blended with ethanol rather than MTBE. Ethanol-blended gasoline has been successfully utilized throughout the U.S. for many years. On the West Coast, gasoline with ethanol is being sold in Spokane, Portland, Reno, Las Vegas, Tucson, and Phoenix. Many midwestern locations have been marketing ethanol-blended gasoline for over twenty years. Thomas D. O'Malley, Tosco's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "This gasoline we are producing will meet all of California's strict air quality requirements without the use of MTBE and will reduce the risk to the State's valuable water resources." The gasoline is being manufactured at Tosco's San Francisco Area Refinery at Rodeo and meets all of California's gasoline specifications, which are among the most stringent in the world. By delivering the gasoline from the Rodeo refinery directly to nearby stations using a dedicated transfer system, Tosco is able to bypass the State's complex gasoline distribution system of pipelines and terminals. Segregation of ethanol-blended gasoline from MTBE- blended gasoline is a requirement that cannot be met with current distribution facilities. Expansion of the program to other areas of the state would be extremely difficult if not impossible under current conditions. O'Malley further said, "Eliminating MTBE will not be easy and will not happen overnight. We believe the best approach is to give refiners maximum flexibility to explore alternatives. But to do this, we need Congress to pass the Feinstein/Bilbray legislation (S 1576/HR 630) which would allow us to use lower levels of MTBE or no oxygenates at all (except where required for winter carbon monoxide control). Without this legislation, our ability to reduce or eliminate MTBE throughout California will be severely hampered." Tosco Corporation, with $15 billion in annualized revenues, is one of the largest independent refiners and marketers of petroleum products in the U.S. SOURCE Tosco Corporation /CONTACT: David Kory, 510-245-4433, or Duane Bordvick, 925-370-3660, both of Tosco/